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Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

bloomberg.com

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Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#2

Post by sarcasmatwork »

The fact they want to track everyone is the abuse and reason they should be shut down. You dont have to use them, but FB is everywhere to track and gather data for their profits. If America had privacy rights like Europe we would not have this issue then we could sue FB and maybe they would learn after thousands of lawsuits. FB is not being held accountable for their lies and multiple privacy violations.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#4

Post by INTPenis »

I only read the title but imagine if Facebook were required to have a warning on their signup form. Telling people basically that "if you're not paying for the service then you're being sold to pay for the service".

Smokers ignore worse warnings all the time.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#5

Post by SilasX »

I think it's a good (if inflammatory) analogy: in both cases, people are aware, in the abstract, of dangers, but systematically underestimate them by a big margin.

People knew "smoking is bad for you", but didn't appreciate how bad.

People know "Facebook violates privacy" but not the depth of the profile they've made on you across numerous websites.

People know "You shouldn't compare yourself to others and feel bad about it", but don't realize the extent to which use of FB fights against that.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#6

Post by amelius »

_emacsomancer_ wrote: post #3

Why? It's not really comparable. We can't they (and all of the huge corporations) just be treated like AT&T was before all of the anti-monopoly laws were gutted?

Probably lobbying and the fact that the US likes it better when a US company has power on the internet as opposed to some company from another country. Also, the NSA might have installed some secret probes in FB, so it would be a set-back if all users moved to a different platform.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#7

Post by diablerouge »

INTPenis wrote: post #4

I only read the title but imagine if Facebook were required to have a warning on their signup form. Telling people basically that "if you're not paying for the service then you're being sold to pay for the service". Smokers ignore worse warnings all the time.

That ignores the fact that the percentage of the population who smokes has dropped drastically from when measures were put in place.

Yeah, those warnings don't stop addicts, but they totally changed the public discourse about smoking, and societal attitudes toward the habit. I don't see a reason why that wouldn't work for other harmful behaviors like social media addiction.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#8

Post by markstos »

As someone without a Facebook account, it's awkward to read these articles that assume inevitably of Facebook's influence.

You can quit. We can quit.

Sometimes I run into a group that I want to be more involved with that organizes on Facebook. When I mention I want to be involved but am not on Facebook, there is usually sympathy and a response that there are others interested in the group which are not on Facebook, either. Many organizations are multi-platform to be inclusive, and more organizations if more people spoke up to request a non-Facebook option.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#9

Post by MisterOctober »

SilasX wrote: post #5

I think it's a good (if inflammatory) analogy: in both cases, people are aware, in the abstract, of dangers, but systematically underestimate them by a big margin. People knew "smoking is bad for you", but didn't appreciate how bad. People know "Facebook violates privacy" but not the depth of the profile they've made on you across numerous websites. People know "You shouldn't compare yourself to others and feel bad a…

Yep. I resisted FB for years, but finally gave in in ~2009 due to pressure from old school pals, after what I thought was a thorough risk/benefit analysis.

Turns out that I _vastly_ underestimated the risk. I quit FB in ~2012, but not before I had already experienced some pronounced ill effects. Kind of like my auntie with smoking .

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